Rough Sparkle

It's happy hour, the alcohol is flowing. It's time to pull up a tankard of ale, bottle of wine for the ladies and regail tales of heroism and grandeur.

Topic/Postby Voca » 01 Feb 2008, 01:23

Rough Sparkle

Two years ago…

Alone and scruffy, the poor girl struggled along, the weight of the horror she’d witnessed firmly attached to her back and dragging her down. Her raven black hair stuck out at odd angles, as though trying to escape, and those that couldn’t break free were immovably matted to her skull. The unmistakable dark stains of blood spattered her ragged clothes, and upon her once-innocent face lay several burn marks, mostly situated around her blue lips. She coughed harshly, and continued her slow shuffling pace along the crowded streets of Stormwind.

All around her, citizens went about their daily business, almost oblivious to the shattered girl dragging herself lamely past them. Another shudder of pain wracked her body, and her vision began to swim sickeningly. Her energy drained by the long walk from distant Lakeshire, she was upon the verge of collapsing as she slipped clumsily and sprawled into a small cubby hole in a nearby building. Completely unaware of her surroundings and delirious from the horrific pain strangling her body, the last thing she saw before passing out was the confused and frightened face of a young boy.

After a while, she came to. Blinking in the unfathomable darkness around her, she tried to remember what happened. The fire, unrelenting heat…the demon that had struck her down so painfully…all her friends, gone forever. She felt the hot prickle of tears in her eyes and struggled to sit up and take in her surroundings. The room she lay within could be described with a few choice words. “Bare” was one, while strangely “tidy” was another. The rough wooden floor was quite worn, and from what she could see through the dark, there was some sort of makeshift bed in the corner made from assorted bits of hay and a threadbare blanket. With that in mind, she looked down to see a slightly better quality blanket laid carefully over her body; deep green and made of wool, it was slightly scratchy, but better than nothing.

It was at that moment she noticed the pair of bright eyes watching her from across the darkened room. Quickly, the figure lit a candle, and the whole room was bathed in a flickering deep orange light, shadows dancing off the dirtied walls like wild partygoers. The injured girl noticed that the figure holding the candle was a very young boy, dressed in ridiculously downtrodden clothes, yet with a warm smile upon his face.
“Yay, you woke up!” He exclaimed happily, scuttling over and giving the surprised girl a big hug. “I thought you would never wake up!”
“Uhh…hello there.” She whispered hoarsely, her smoke-ridden lungs struggling to take in any air at all. “Where am I?”
“Oh, you’re in my home. It’s not very good, but make yourself comfortable!” He chattered excitedly, pulling the woollen blanket up around her and heading back over to the makeshift bed to get something. “My name’s Greggy by the way, what’s yours?” He was tinkering with something the girl couldn’t quite make out.
“Nel, I think…” The girl groaned, holding her head in her hands.
“Nice to meet you, Nel! Here, have something to drink.” He revealed the cup filled with a strange concoction. With her throat painfully dry, it could have been liquid metal for all Nel cared, as she gently took the battered cup from the friendly boy and sipped from it. The flavour was very odd, almost herbal in a way.
“What’s in this?” She asked inquisitively, eyeing the cup’s contents carefully.
“Oh, it’s thistle. I find it helps me get back on my feet when I wake up!” He nodded enthusiastically, and looked at her with a brief pang of worry. Nel took a good look at him, noticing that he didn’t look particularly healthy. Then again, neither did she, so she took that with a shrug and instead wondered why such a small child was on his own.
“Where are your parents?” She enquired, curious to know more. His expression flickered with sadness for a second, but quickly reverted to his rather bright and positive outlook.
“Dunno, they left me alone when I was really small and never came back…oh well, I can take care of myself!” He grinned happily. “What happened to you? Did someone hurt you?” He asked, eyeing the burns and cuts on her arms and face.
“Yeah, kinda…it’s a long story though.” She frowned slightly, but his face lit up.
“Oh, I love stories!” He shuffled closer and blinked up at her expectantly. She couldn’t help but adore the little kid, so carefully, she regaled the tale of the previous night, omitting a few details here and there so she didn’t scare him too much. Adoringly, he’d sat there and listened to her every word, gasping and blinking in awe when the demon came into play.

Finally, after she’d finished, he hugged her tightly. “Awww…you’ll be okay, I know you will!” While she was looking over his tiny shoulder, she noticed some sort of odd shrine set up in the corner. A few unlit candles were arranged around a small wooden carving of some sort.
“What’s that over there?” She asked, pointing at the shrine-like arrangement. Greggy blushed somewhat fiercely and tried to find the words.
“I…err…pray to the Light.” He looked at the shrine uncomfortably. “I know, I know, it’s silly.” Nel shook her head at this.
“It’s not silly at all. Who knows, someone might be listening.” She smiled at him, and he blushed again, his cheeks becoming rosier.
“I prayed for you last night…you looked really bad.” He shuffled about again, and Nel felt a pang run through her heart as she remembered the last time anyone had uttered those words. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she nodded at Greggy, with a smile.
“Well, I’m still alive ain’t I? Someone must have been listening.”
“Do you…pray?” He asked, blinking at her inquisitively. Nel shook her head slightly.
“No…I used to a long time ago though. Looks like I’ve forgotten how to do it.” Greg cracked into a wide grin happily.
“Come on, I’ll show you how!”

(Note: This is a work in progress at the moment, so hang tight for the next part!)
HB: Waste exactly four hours on this tomfoolery.

If you are cold, it will warm you.
If you are too heated, it will cool you.
If you are depressed, it will cheer you.
If you are excited, it will calm you.
NOW SIT DOWN AND DRINK YOUR GODDAMN TEA!
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Voca
Exactly 26 Belgiums
 
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Location: Lancashire, UK

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